To all of you who read and spread the word about Crossword Unclued, I am tremendously thankful for your encouragement and support.

Plenty has changed for me in the past year. I've been through new kinds of experiences and dealt with unfamiliar challenges. And I've come to think that the principles that drive cryptic crosswords apply equally well beyond the boundaries of the crossword grid.

On the blog's birthday I'd like to reflect on five life lessons that cryptic crosswords have reinforced time and again.

1 Don't judge by what meets the eye at first. Unexpected meanings may hide beneath the surface.

2 Sometimes truth is a matter of perspective. The same thing can be read in more than way, and each way may be valid.

3 Not every conflict is a win-lose situation. Just as a setter's real victory is in conceding defeat to the solver.

4 If a problem cannot be solved cold, look for the checking letters to bail you out.

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Congrats!The blog has been a great help.The only complaint is it has become far too few in recent times.Lessons? 1 Don't Give Up!Keep plugging on.2 A Completed Grid is worth all the hard work3 There is no room for complacency.